ITA, Oracle Announce Multiyear Partnership Extension
June 21, 2018
TEMPE, Ariz. (June 21, 2018) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association and Oracle are excited to announce a multi-year extension to their alliance, as Oracle continues to strengthen its ongoing commitment to collegiate tennis.
The Oracle ITA alliance includes Oracle’s ongoing sponsorship of the Oracle ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, the Oracle ITA Masters and Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, while adding title sponsorships to the ITA Summer Circuit (now branded as the Oracle ITA Summer Circuit Powered By UTR) and the Division I and Division III National Team Indoor Championships.
“Our partnership with ITA has been a great success to date, and we’re eager to keep expanding the game,” said Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. “We want to ensure that young players understand that collegiate tennis offers terrific opportunities to improve their games, play in great venues in a team environment, all while getting an education that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.
ITA CEO Timothy Russell added: “The ITA is thrilled to be continuing our wonderful working relationship with Oracle; an incredibly innovative company with an astonishing forward-thinking CEO,” said Russell. “Both parties are committed to positively shaping the future of college tennis. Oracle’s attention to creating events of high distinction, in which the best players in college want to participate and fans want to watch, either in person or from the comfort of their own home via television and live streaming, is elevating our game.”
The newly-christened Oracle ITA Summer Circuit Powered by UTR will serve as a model for level-based play in the near 50 tournaments contested during the Summer Circuit’s six-week duration. The Oracle ITA Summer Circuit Powered by UTR, which began in 1993, provides college tennis players, along with junior players, alumni and young aspiring professionals, the opportunity to compete in organized events during the summer months. For the third consecutive year, the Oracle ITA Summer Circuit Powered by UTR will feature nearly 50 tournaments across 23 different states, during a six-week stretch from late June to the end of July. The circuit will culminate at the ITA National Summer Championships, hosted by TCU from August 10-14, which will feature prize money for the first time.
“The ITA Summer Circuit is yet another great opportunity to influence the quality of American tennis and Oracle is excited to play a part in it,” said Hurd. “The summer circuit is the ideal opportunity for all players, from collegians to juniors, to play competitively year-round.”
Oracle will now have an expanded presence in the dual-match portion of the college tennis schedule by becoming the title sponsor of all four National Team Indoor Championships. Contested during the months of February and March, the Oracle ITA National Team Indoor Championships feature 16 of the nation’s top men’s and women’s teams from Division I, and eight highly-ranked men’s and women’s Division III teams vying for a national indoor title.
Created in 2015, the Oracle ITA Masters has established itself as one of the premier events of the collegiate tennis season. The Oracle ITA Masters features singles draws of 32 for men and women, and a mixed doubles event with a 32-draw. Players are chosen based upon conference representation, similar to the NCAA Tournament.